Rajotte brings traditional gardening into the spolight

Hosted by Coleen Rajotte, a Cree and Métis award-winning journalist and producer, a new 13-part television series is airing on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). Vitality Gardening debuted on Nov. 1.
It's focused both on the merits of traditional gardening and how anyone can garden no matter where they are located. From her backyard to the northern territories, Rajotte said where there is a will to garden there is a way.
"I think that as Aboriginal people no matter where we live, whether it is in the city or in a remote community, it is important that we go back to the old ways and we learn how to grow our own food. And not be so dependent on the grocery store because our ancestors would go out into the bush gathering wild plants as medicine and we didn't rely on a pharmacy or Safeway for survival. We depended on ourselves," said Rajotte.
She is no stranger to health related shows as this is her second piece of work on the topic. The first was a show called Vitality Television a health and wellness program that also aired on APTN in 2007. It was hosted by Rajotte and featured advice and information on how to live a healthier, fulfilling and balanced life.
As part of the program and one of the themes of the show, which is that anyone can garden anywhere, Rajotte learns how to garden. In her first show, Rajotte plants a garden in her own backyard for the very first time using the 'mound system' which her expert and teacher Audrey Logan, a Métis from Edmonton, showed her. She said this system requires hardly any watering or weeding because of the structure of the system. The mound system or three sisters is a traditional Native American way of planting corn, beans and squash.
The three crops benefit from each other. The squash surrounds the other two acting as a 'living mulch' monopolizing the sunlight to prevent weeds creating a microclimate to retain moisture in the soil. Another benefit is that the prickly hairs of the vine deter pests. The beans put nitrogen back into the soil that the other plants need and are able to climb the corn, eliminating the need for poles.
Rajotte who had never gardened before launching the show had some concerns about the work as would any new gardener, but as she was introduced to it, she found that it was easier then she thought and found satisfaction from seeing the fruit of her labour.
"I read that it was very soul satisfying to see your own food grow and it really is when you put a seed in the ground and you water it and give it a little bit of attention and something grows from it. It really is an amazing thing. And I think that people think that gardening is going to take hours and they will be sweating, weeding and digging. But it is not that way, if you plant the way that our ancestors did in the mound system, which is how I learned in my backyard and it is not a lot of work," stated Rajotte.
Her shows are also being considered for a part in an upcoming museum exhibit called 'First Nations as First Farmers'. Leigh Syms, the associate curator of archeology at the Manitoba Museum of Manitoba and Nature has plans to open the traveling exhibit next year. Syms confirmed that he would be using some of her research and part of her history show on the immigration of Mayan corn. The exhibit is his brainchild and he is very passionate about creating awareness about the traditional role First Nations had and have in agriculture.
"The purpose is to take the message to many communities throughout Canada and the United States, that First Nations have a long rich history of cultivating and domesticating a wide range of plants that have had a tremendous impact on the world," said Syms.
Syms has conferred with Rajotte and he expressed that her work is almost an extension of his own.
"I think what she is doing is just absolutely phenomenally important. It is going to do a number of things, it is going to raise awareness among First Nations and also help those traditionalists who are struggling to reintroduce traditional plants. I'm hoping that her work will get people back into gardening and raising traditional plants in general and particularly young people and help the current traditional elders do that. And one area that I see that having a tremendous impact on is the reduction of diabetes. Its always been established that once you get into healthy foods there is a drop off in type 2 diabetes," expressed Syms.
Rajotte founded the 100 per cent Aboriginal owned and operated Rajotte productions Inc, in 1999.
With this latest gardening production, Rajotte proves that not every gardener needs to have a green thumb or even experience to have the ideal garden.
Check local listings for air times of Vitality Gardening on APTN.